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Hot Press

Divine blues and roots from Americana veteran.

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The Phoenix

The organic, timeless quality of that voice--especially haunting on Helm's own tale of a farmer's struggle, 'Growing Trade'--is offset by the sweetness of his daughter Amy's harmony singing, as well as by bright eddies of slide guitar and mandolin, all of it creating an appealing balance.

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Los Angeles Times

He sings of the land and of people who struggle to hold on to some small piece of it. It's especially powerful considering the ways in which he's transcended significant struggles of his own.

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Entertainment Weekly

The former Band drummer and cancer survivor's vocals sound grizzled and glorious on Electric Dirt.

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PopMatters

Neither the left-field alternative interpretations of Johnny Cash’s final few albums, nor the insular, moody explorations of contemporary Bob Dylan, Helm’s recent work embraces the past alongside the present in a way that is inviting, joyous, and thoroughly satisfying.

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Uncut

The musical palette, however, is wider this time round, emphasising the breadth of Helm’s interests rather than the stuff on which he was weaned--numbers by Muddy Waters and Nina Simone rub shoulders with works by Randy Newman and the Grateful Dead.

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All Music Guide

Electric Dirt sounds fresh, emphatic, and as effective as anything Levon has cut since the mid-'70s, and one can only hope he has a few more discs in him just this good.

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Boston Globe

Helm blends the secular and gospel worlds with an almost seamless precision. Fans of the Band will love this.

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Rolling Stone

Helm struts his slippery shell-game groove on 'Jed' and works it deftly throughout. But he digs deepest here with his voice, which veers between soulful stoicism and boozy yowl.

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Mojo

Electric Dirt, as implied, is a continuation of "Dirt Farmer's" themes, packing a sharper jolt. [Jul 2009, p.94]

Paste Magazine

The rural, pure, gospel-meets-banjos-meets-trumpets sound of the record is irrevocably essential Helm, yet the soulful songsmith manages to avoid repetition in his new album.

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Slant Magazine

The songs are new but have the worn familiarity of something pulled from storage, all the trilling organs and honky-tonk shuffles, made thinner and more poignant by the passage of time.

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Billboard

It's driven by Helm's warm, amazingly rich moonshine vocals and decorated with bluesy guitar sprinkles, angelic violins and lovely harmonies by his daughter Amy of the folk-rock outfit Ollabelle.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Byron L J gave it an8:
It's arguable that this record is better than his last. This is surely a contender for album of the year. There are not many Artists who were playing in bands 40 years ago, still putting out great albums.

Jerome L gave it an8:
A wonderfully energetic and soulful album of the sort that only Mr. Helm could deliver.

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Electric Dirt

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